Portable machine for bending large diameter pipe



April 25, 1944. l5. CUMMINGS PORTABLE MACHINE FOR BENDING LAPGE DIAMETER PIPE Filed Sept. -I5, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet l V. 5. E .G m M mm m VH 7 ,mmm A vom mw @n @n MQW A om 5 d ON m ,m

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pril 25,1944- J. D. cUMMlNGs' 2,347,593 y PORTABLE MACHINE FOR BENDING LARGE DIAMETER PIPE Fle'd Sept. 5, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 l l Y rf) Lr; .l

n bi x` J h INV-ENTOR.

JAMES D. GummNGs HTTO/P/VEV.

April 25., 1944 J. D. cuMMlNGs `2,347,593

PORTABLEMACHINE 4FOR BENDING LARGE DIAMETER PIPE Filed Sept. 3, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR.

JAnEs D. Gurmmea.

j April 25, 1944. J. D. cUMMlNGs 2,347,593

PORTABLE MACH-INE FOR BENDING LARGE DIAMETER PIPE Filed Sept. 5, 1943 Y 5 SheetsSheet 4 I N VEN TOR.

JAMES D. Gumnms.

im. @.Qeaw.-

Arran/K April 25., 1944. .y J, D, CUMMlNG 2,347,593

PORTABLE MACHINE FOR BENDING LARGE DIAMETER PIPE Filed Sept. 5, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheei 5 Y m/VENToR.l

JAMES D. GummNGs Y fum r3. Gmb.

v being madein a section of pipen Patented Api". 25, 1944 PORTABLE MACHINE FOR BENDING LARGE DIAMETER PIPE James D. Cummings, Houston, Tex., assigner to b Crutcher-Rolfs-Cummings Company, Houston,

" Tex., a corporation of Texas Application September 3, 1943, Serial No. 501,068

9 claims. (ci. 15s-sz) The invention relates to a pipe bending machine and particularly a machine which is portable and can be used for relatively large diameter pipe.

In the laying of pipe lines it is often desirable to make bends in the pipe on location because the exact angularity of the bend, the extent thereof and other requirements may not be predictable until the pipe is being actually placed in position and furthermore it is diflicult to transport large diameter bent sections of pipe.

' The present invention directs itself to bending relatively large diameter such as 16, 20 and 24" pipe, but it is specifically stated that the invention is not limited to the exact size of the pipe.

Pipe used in pipe lines for transportirg liquids i is made of steel having varying wall thicknesses,

some of which is relatively thinv while other pipe may be relatively thick. It is therefore the vobject of the present invention to provide a machine which is adaptable to bend either thin or thick pipe and whereby the angle and configuration-of the bend can be controlled and adjusted. Another object of the invention is to provide a pipe bending machine having a template and a series of pipe supporting shoes arranged adjacent thereto so that the pipe surface on the inside of the bend will be adequately supported to prevent distortion or collapse during the bending operation.

Another object of the invention is toprovide a pipe bending machine having an anchor for `one end of thepipe, a bending section to support the area to be bent in combination with a mechanism to exert a lateral pull on the free end ofthe pipe pipe bending machine wherein the various parts thereof are adjustable to accommodate different sizes of pipe to accomplish different configurations of bends and to support the pipe against collapse.

Other and further objects of the invention will be readily apparent when the following description is considered with the accompanying drawings wherein: 1

Fig. l is a top plan view bending machine with a pipe in position ready to be bent.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the machine with the pipe bending section removed. y

Figi; 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on the line 4`4 of Fig. 2 and illustrating the arrangement of the frame and the pipe bending section including the shoes. l l

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section through the pipe bending section illustrating the template, shoes and the adjustable arrangement for determining the angularity of the bend.

so as to cause it-to bendaround the bendingv section to take the desired conguration.

Another object of the invention is to provide a series of interconnected pipe supporting shoes for a pipe .bending machine. l

Stillanother object ofl the invention is to 'pro-x vide a template to receivein sequence a series of pipe supporting `shoes so as to determinev the congurationof a bend being made in 'a section of pipe.' i

Another. object of the invention is to provide for adjustment of the pipe supporting shoes in order todeterminer the configuration of the bend yStill another object of Vthe invention is tol bend a large section of pipe while-the pipe is supported both internally and externally to maintain its contour.

yAnother object of invention is to 'provide a Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of a plurality of the shoes illustrating the manner of interconnecting the several shoes together.

Fig. 'l' is a horizontal section through the shoes and template of the pipe bending section and f illustrating an adjustable construction for they template parts. K 1 n E y Fig. 8 is a'section takenfon the line. 8-p-8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a side' elevation of the pipe anchor or yoke and illustrating an eccentric pivotal connection therefor to permit adjustment of, the yoke.

Fig. 10is a` transverse `section through a pipe illustrating an internal jig'to support thin walled pipe to prevent collapsethereof during the bending operation which Fig. 11 isfa transverse sectionthrough a'pipe having the jig of Fig. 10 therein.v

The pipe' isseenA in top plan view in 1 where a frame 2 is illustrated las being made up of a plurality ofstructural members ysuch as the I beams 3. Y- The frame may be very rigid in order` 1 and thesel two'sets of studs-along the beams 4 looking down on thel isa section on the line 'I0- `IllofFiggll'.. g.

and 6 serve to support the longitudinal front beam 8 and the rea-r beam 9. These beams are spaced apart at their central portion between cross beams I0, a plurality of which are seen in Fig. 1. Toward the ends of the frame the front beam 8 is inclined toward the rear. beam 9 as shown by the angular beams I2 and I3. 'I'he beams 9 and I2 are joined by a plate I4 while the beam I 3-and the other end of the beam 9 are joined by an end member I5. This arrange# ment makes up a unitary frame construction which is seen in front elevation in Fig. 2 where the support beams 4 and 6 are illustrated as having beveled ends I1 to permit skidding of the frame by a suitable power mechanism engaged in the loops I8.

In order to anchor the end of the pipe -which Fig. 3 as being mounted on a king pin 2| which extends vertically through the frame and the plate I4. The frame carries the bearing structure` 22 so as to form a pivotal connection for the ends 23 of the yoke member. This yoke is of substantially U-shaped configuration With the U lying on its side as seen in Figs. 3 and 9. The curved portion of the yoke has a pipe engaging seat 25 and particular attention is directed to the large area 26 inside of the yoke which facilitates 'the insertion and removal of the pipe 21 as seen in Fig. 1 because the end 28 of such pipe must be inserted in the yoke the end 28 against movement during the-bending operation. The pivoting of this yoke 20 a1- lows it to be moved so as to accommodate the pipe in the most convenient manner. Fig. 3 shows the king pin as mounted in the supporting frame whereas Fig. 9 shows an eccentric head 30 arranged above and below the support bearings, each of which heads carries an eccentric head 3| on which the ends 23 of the yoke are mounted. It seems obvious that by adjustment ofthe king pin and the setting thereof by means of the set screw 32 that the position of the pipe seat 25 may be adjusted relative to the frame. The king pin of Fig. 9 is made in two parts with the interfltting portions 33 in order to permit assembly. x

In operation the pipe 21 will be inserted in the yoke as seen in Fig. 1 with the end 28 projecting through the yoke. The center portion 35 of the pipe which is to be bent is positioned in the pipe bending section 36 which is supported on the frame 2. The end 31 of the pipe is engaged by a suitable pulling mechanism 38 which may be in the form of the block and tackle 39 anchored at 40 on the frame with the free end 4I of the line leading to a suitable source of power such as a winch, truck or tractor, or if desired, the pulling mechanism may be anchored directly to the source of power eliminating the block and tackle 39. With this construction a lateral pull will be .exerted on the end 31 ofthe pipe while the end 28 is anchored, 'which will cause thecenter portion 35 of the pipe to bend in accordance with the configuration of the bending section 38. By this arrangement the bending stresses are distributed along the length of pipe and it could be said that all the metal on -the outer half of the pipe is subjected to tension and stretching while the A -inner half is subjected to compression tending to wrinkle the pipe on the inside of the bend. The spaced shoes, however, support the pipe to substantially maintain its configuration'.

The bending section 38 as seen in Fig. 1 includes 75 20 in order to anchor is to be bent a pipe supporting yoke 20 is seen in y a pipe seating face such Fig. 1 shows two of these shoes 48 as rigidly 45 by the supportingbracket 49. In this manner'a definite point of-A of the bend of the por-4 y 50 are each provided a template 45 which, as seen in Fig. 4, is in the form of a double web I beam or deep channel having the bearing face 46 thereon, which may be formed to any desired curvature which may be a regular curve such as an arc of aV circle or any desired irregular curvature. This template will be supported on the frame 2. Anchored on the template at the left hand end as seen in Fig. 1 will be a pipe engaging member 41. This member has the curved shoe portions 48 thereon which are substantially semi-cylindrical in order to provide as 49 seen in Fig. 4.

anchored on the template support for thebeginning tion of pipe section 35 to be bent is provided so that the bend will be initiated immediately beyond these rigidly supporting shoes 48.

The bending section also contemplates a plurality of additional pipe supporting members 59, each of which includes the shoe portion 5I as seen in Fig. 4. Each of these shoes includes a heel construction 53 which extends rearwardly from the forward shoe portion and is arranged to engage the surface 46 of the template. T hese shoes with the lateral lugs 54 and 55 on the opposite sides thereof adjacent the heel portion 53. The bolt 56 may be passed through the intertting lugs so as to provide a pivotal connection between the adjacent shoes. One of the shoes adjacent the right hand end as seen in Fig. 1 may have an additional lug 51 thereon by which the series of shoes may be supported from the arm 58 which is anchored on the frame.

In order to .urge this series pipe 21 a coil spring .59 is arranged for sliding movement in the socket 60 onthe frame and is arranged to engage the end piece 6I carried by the last bracket 50.

As a pull is exerted upon the pull member 38 it seems obvious that the pipe will begin to bend about the first shoes 48 and that as it gradually bends, the shoes 50 in sequence will move against the template 45 until the pipe assumes the configuration of the template because the heel portion 53 of each of the shoes will in this manner move against the surface 46 of the template.

In this bending operation it seems obvious that the periphery of the pipe in the area where the bend is being formed is adequately supported by may be attached to the heel portions 53 of the shoes.

be retained in order to support the shims 85. As seen in Fig. 5 the lowermost shoe has two shims and th next succeeding shoes each carry three shims. 'Ihe number of shims may be varied in order to define the desired bend. In this manner the same template may be used and variations in the bend accomplished by the use of these shims.

Figs. 7 and 8 show a vmodified form of the template 45 in that the template is made up of a plurality of sections or segments 19, each of which is supported on a plurality of eccentric of shoes against the This construction shows a lug 66 arranged on each side of the -heel by which the bolts 91 may v supports the pin 12. The pin has a non-circular member 11 thereon to permit its adjustment. It

`seems clear that with this construction that the inclination of the various sections can be'controlled and practically any desired bend may be thus obtained by suitably adjusting the template.

In some instances the wall thickness of the pipe being bent is such that it must be internally supported to prevent distortion and Figs. and 11 show a jig 80 which is arranged .to support the inside of the pipe. The jig illustrated includes a cable or a pull member 8| which may have a series of -anchor clevises 82 thereon so that each clevis forms a stop for a hub 83 which forms a link in the jig. Each hub has a plurality of arms 84 pivoted thereon as seen in Fig. 11. Two of the arms support a shoe 85 to engage the pipe in the innerarea of the bend While the other two arms support a shoe 88 which is arranged to engage the pipe in the outer portion of the bend. 'Ihis shoe 86 may have a pivot 81 therein to permit the shoe to align itself accurately with the inner periphery 88 of the pipe 21.

This jig will be moved into the pipe and the hook portions 89 engaged over the end 31 of the pipe. A pull is then exerted to the left as seen in Fig. 10 on the cable 8| so that each clevis 82 will move against its hub 83 so as to move the hub to the left tending to move the links 84 into vertical alignment withthe hub and the shoes. This moves the shoes radially outward so as to press them firmly into engagement with the outside of the pipe. When this jig has been set as seen in Fig. 1l and the bending of the pipe has begun the outer shoe 86 holds the outside of the bend in an exact circular coniiguration while the inside of the bend is supported internally by the shoe 85 andy externally by the series of shoes 50 of the bending section. It has been found with a construction of this sort that exceptionallyl thin walled pipe may be readily bent without distorting the pipe.

In actual operation machines built in accordance with this disclosure have bent a great many sections of pipe on; location saving literally thousands of man hours in the building of strategic pipeline.

The portable nature of the pipe bending machine adapts it for use` on locationl as the laying of a pipe line proceeds and eliminates the transportation of particular pipe sections to a bending machine at a remote location when it is determined that a bend of a particularA conguration is to be made. l

With a machine of the type herein disclosed, when the two portions of the pipe line which are to be joined together by a bent section of pipe are laid, then the exact bend can be measured, the machine adjusted therefor, and the pipe bent in a total elapsed time of a few minutes so that broadly the invention contemplates a portable pipe bending machine which is adjustable to bend the pipe to various configurations and to adequately support the pipe against distortion.

What is claimed is:

1. .A pipe bending machine for bending relatively large diameter metal pipe comprising a frame, means to retain a pipe end at one end of the frame, a bending section carried by said frame and including a template of the curvature of the bend, a series of connected shoe members mounted on said frame, means normally urging some of said shoes against the pipe', and means to exert a pull on the free end of the pipe to force said shoesagainst the template as the pipe bends around the shoes. v

2. In a pipe bending machine having a frame,

a bending section thereon including a plurality of interconnected shoe members, each member including a substantially semicircular piece to receive the pipe, and a heel portion projecting therefrom, and templatelmeans on said frame to receive said heels of said portions to limit the movement of said shoes and of the configuration of the bend to be applied to the pipe, and additional means to be disposed between each heel portion and said template to determine the position thereof and to vary the configuration of the bend to be made.

3. In a pipe bending machine having a frame, a bending section thereon including a' plurality of interconnected shoe members, each member including a substantially semlcircular piece to receive the pipe, and a heel portion projecting therefrom, and template means on said frame to receive said heels of said portions to limit the movement of said shoes and of the configuration of the bend to be applied to the pipe, and additional means to be athxed to each heel portion to determine the position thereof and to vary the configuration of said template means and the bend to be made, and eccentric means to effect adjustment of said template means.

4. A portable pipe bending machine for cold bending relatively large diameter line pipe including a frame, a bending section carried by said frame and including a plurality of independently adjustable pipe contact shoes to form the configuration of the bend, xed means to anchor one end of the pipe to the frame, means normally urging said shoes to contact the pipe so as to support the pipe as it is being bent, and means to exert a lateral force by being connected to the other end of said pipe to bend it around said bending section.

5. In a pipe bending machine a frame, a series of pipe bending shoes, means to rigidly support at least one of the series of said shoes upon said frame, means connecting adjacent shoes and allowing limited movement therebetween, and spring means on said frame and normally extending the last shoe to normally present said shoes in a straight line to receive the pipe to be bent.

of pipe bending shoes, means to rigidly support at least one of the series of said shoes upon said frame, means connecting adjacent shoes and allowing limited movement therebetween, spring means on said frame extending the last shoe to normally present said shoes in a straight line to receive the pipe to be bent, stop means on said frame, approximating at least a portion of the curvature to be imparted to the pipe, to receive said shoes as the pipe is bent so as to eiect bend-V ing in the desired curvature, and additional means to adjust the stopping of said shoes to vary the angle of bending as desired.

7. In a pipe bending machine, a frame, said retain one endof the pipe to be bent, means on the other end of the frame to connect to the 'other end of the pipe to exert a pull thereon toward the frame, and a pipe bending section against which the portion of the pipe to be bent is to be pulled, said section including a substantially semi-circular portion to receive and embrace the inside of the bend, and a web formed on the back of said portion to support such portion against said beam to resist the pull on the pipe.

8. In a pipe bending machine, a frame, vsaid frame comprising a pair of spaced longitudinal skid members so that the machine may be moved along a pipe line right of way where pipe is being bent and laid, a plurality of upright supports on said skids, a top on said supports including. a

pipe bending section supporting beam, a yoke mounted-at one end of the frame to receive and retain one end of the pipe to be bent, means on the other end of the frame to connect to the other end of the pipe to exert a pull thereon toward the frame, and a pipe bending section `again which the portion o1' the pipe to be bent is to be pulled, said section including a substantially semi-circular portion to receive and embrace the inside of the bend, a web formed on the back oi said portion to support such portion against said beam to resist the pull on the pipe, and an expansible jig for insertion in the pipe so as to internally support the pipe during bending.

9. In a portable pipe bending machine, a frame including a base having a pair of spaced longitudinal skid members so that the machine may be moved along the line where the pipe is being bent, a pipe anchor on one end of the frame, a pipe pulling mechanism on the other end of the frame. and a pipe bending section supported on the frame between said anchor and pulling mechanism, said section being curved longitudinally and substantially semicircular to receive and have a pipe curved there around when the pipe is anchored and pulled, and a plurality of transverse radial flanges supporting said section against said frame to resist the thrust due to the pull and bending of the pipe.

i JAMES D. CUMMINGS. 

